Fade
by SushiSquidKid
Summary: Fade is an orignal story written by me. It takes place an unknown amount of time after a shipwreck, when a group of teens must learn the truth behind the time spent, and the secrets that lie in the past. Note: this is too similar to lord of the files to be totally orignal. Thats why this is here. Until i decide its good enough to be truely orignal, itll be here.
1. 1

he storm had been a rough one, but all 24 had managed to survive it. Though they suffered almost permanent memory loss, the captain knew he had saved the youngest lives as the old ship took its final breaths and sunk into the sea deep below. It would take over a month for them all to finally gather on that small island, but what the captain didn't know was that they would be all alone.

The most well schooled of them, his father a genius, and the only one without memory loss, was a boy named Jason, who assumed the new name Terra, as an act of rebellion against the world who seemed to turn it's back on him by killing his father.

After Terra, a boy named Tyler appeared, but, distraught at his own memory loss, claimed the name Ray, at Terra's suggestion. The two spent the first 3 days together, talking and thinking of plans for things far in the future, as Terra figured out the foods and nessesities needed for survival. Ray was never one for serious work, as the boy soon learned, though he showed heart and promise.

Skylar, a girl who had been lively and talkative outside the island, washed up on shore quiet and shy, not even bothering to name herself once it was confirmed she had really lost her memory. Ray suggested the name Mouse, but Terra decided Moon would be a better name for someone as graceful as she. Moon accepted the name, walking by Terra's side and never seeming to leave it.

The next girl to appear was lively and bouncy, never seeming to cease on projects and improvements to the island, even on her first day. She quickly took charge and named herself Sky, impressed with the theme the others had laid out.

Things went on like this for what Terra had counted as a month, but there was still one child to be found. She washed up on shore the next day, as the others had. Her name was Elizabeth, an indifferent girl who didn't seem to do much but worry. However, Ray was almost immediately attached, and so she named herself Sun, since she was always with Ray.

With these 24 children, the barren island had turned into a home, with a small cave for major storms and as a place to eat, a cove filled with fish, and a freshwater pond, complete with a waterfall they soon learned to climb and jump off of. And so, they grew.


	2. 2

Sun awoke to light piercing through her eyelids, and the gentle sound of snoring next to her, along with the familiar grip of a hand on her shoulder. Ray and her had always slept on the beach in the particularly warm months. She gently rolled over to shield her face from the imposter Sun as Ray called it. Sun had always found that funny, and would always laugh her hardest for him, even when her stomach aches from doing so. After a while of thinking, Sun finally gave Ray a gentle shake on the arm. Who knew what teasing Sky would do if they weren't at the pond by the time the sun was in the middle of the sky.

Ray scrunched up his nose, rubbing his face with his spare hand until his brown eyes finally emerged to look at Sun. "morning... I missed you."

Sun let out a laugh at that. He said it every morning, even though some nights he fell asleep curled up next to her, and even then, they always slept next to each other. She smiled at him, then motioned that she was going to get up, sitting up and blinking her light blue eyes, and brushing her blond hair out of her face, adjusting her dress, a gift from her friend Leaf.

The dress itself was made out of a old, big cloth, sewn together many times to give it the perfect look. The sleeve holes were what Leaf was most proud of, since sewing came naturally to her, but cutting neatly did not.

Sun offered her hand to help Ray up, which he took. The two looked at each other for a brief moment, as Sun wondered how the two managed to survive here together for ten years, growing from small children to the age of 14, an almost unbelievable number. But something else besides a celebration would happen today, Sun could feel it. Terra had something big on his mind, and she knew there was going to be a conversation with her in hushed whispers. She was never sure why Terra felt the need to inform her before anyone else, but it was easy to say that though everyone knew everyone, and everyone played and talked to everyone, Terra seemed to believe Sun to be an equal in some strange way he had not thought of others. Of course, he cared for everyone, but there was always some sort of silent loyalty the two had developed, a kind of sense of duty that the other islanders did not share. Perhaps it was because both of them seemed to look far past tomorrow, and only they knew it. Still, despite the wonder swirling in her head, Sun lead Ray to the pond, an area of rushing water and playful laughter. Terra, like expected, was sitting atop the waterful, his eyes signaling Sun to climb up after him. So, she climbed, even though her knees always seemed to shake at the height, she was no stranger to it.

Terra, upon seeing Sun had made the climb, waved solemnly. Sun instantly knew there was something wrong, so she sat down next to him. The world seemed to change to just them, and the early morning of Ray's smiling and joking already seemed far. After what felt like a year of shared silence, Terra spoke.

"as you already know, its been ten years since we landed here, and I wanted to tell you something... I believe someone has spotted us. Last night, I saw a plane fly right over us... I think it was some sort of mission to track down different islands and such. They count these things."

Sun didn't know that, and was shocked to hear such. "Do you think they saw any of us..?"

The dirty blond boy shrugged. "If they did, they probably only saw a tiny speck. They were pretty high up, but I want you to be watchful, ok? Who knows, they may have remembered the shipwreck that got us here and thought to look."

Sun didn't remember the wreck, or anything beyond the shores of her home. "But, don't they think we're dead..?"

He looked up at her, nodding. "Yeah. That's the thing. People are nosy, and probably want to find our skeletons or something..."

Sun knew outsiders were nosy, noisy, and generally mean. But it didn't seem fair that they would take them away from the place they loved so dearly, did it? That was just unnecessary, especially since they got here first.

Eventually Sun nodded, promising she would watch, but Terra wanted a pinky promise. Sun had always thought that was a little silly, but at the same time it was one of the most serious things they could do. So, not wanting to disappoint her friend, she laced her pinky around his and nodded, swearing on her life that she would do her best to protect them.

Terra seemed happy with that, and Sun was free to go. Of course, there was only one way down... jumping. Getting a running start, Sun jumped off the waterfall and into the pond below. Ray was waiting for her by then, a look of concern on his face, which Sun immediately noticed upon emerging from the water below.

Ray looks at Sun and does his best to smile, though by now she knew that he could feel the tension the air had. She got out of the pond, smoothing her hair over. "Ray... Terra saw something last night, but don't freak out about it, kay? It was pretty much nothing..."

Ray nodded and stood up, watching Sun reach out to a tree, desperately trying to grab a coconut. He giggled, and Sun felt her cheeks redden with frustration. Eventually, Ray tapped Sun's shoulder.

"How about I get on your back? Then i'll be tall enough to reach."

Well, Sun couldn't argue with that, could she? So before she knew it, Ray was on her back, leaning upwards and grabbing what they needed. She laughed in triumph, but it was short lived as the two lost their balance.

Tumbling to the ground, Sun caught a brief look at someone the others barely saw, a girl named Dawn, who had brown hair and bangs covering her face.

When Sky had finally made a rock sharp enough to cut hair, Dawn had always used it to give herself bangs to cover her eyes, adding to her mysteriousness. The others had never said much about it, since they simply figured she was shy, and she was, but it almost went too far, to the point Sun wondered if she would leave the island if she could.

Once she hit the ground, Ray falling near her, a small laugh was heard behind Sun.


	3. 3

Sun had her eyes squeezed shut from the fall, almost afraid she'd open them and see the red liquid that remained burnt into her memory from long ago.

Instead, she saw Dawn leaning over her, her bangs swept out of her face so she could get a better look at Sun. Her eyes were like nothing Sun had ever seen before, instead of the blue or brown most of them had, Dawn's were green, and almost piercingly so. The island seemed still as they looked at each other, and it was probably because the others had noticed the fall, and now had their eyes locked on Dawn. slowly Sun watched the green eyed mystery reach her hand out to help Sun stand up, and she took her hand.

Dawn's hands were surprisingly warm. She had always expected them to be as cold as the midnight sea, but there was so much life just waiting to burst out. Once Sun finally got to her feet, she looked to see Ray, still faithfully holding onto the coconut, already on his feet.

Sun was finally on her feet again. It felt like hours, but she knew it could have only been moments, since not much had changed from her fall.

Dawn made sure Sun was ok, before she quickly hid her eyes again, whispering a few words.

"I'm sorry, that looked painful. Are you hurt?"

It sounded robotic to Sun, like she had rehearsed those words since she landed on the island. Maybe she was too scared to say much more. Trying her best not to say anything wrong, Sun nodded.

"I'm ok, thank you."

That seemed to be enough for Dawn, and she nodded. "Is Ray alright..? He hit his head, I saw.."

Sun looked to Ray, and motioned for him to come over. She felt frozen, before now unsure if Dawn even knew anyone's name. The usually happy and bright boy she had known did seem frozen, but it was most likely the fact that no one had ever seen Dawn move, or talk, this much.

"I-i'm alright... Sun, are you ok?"

Sun closed her eye and nodded, looking back to Dawn. "you want to share this coconut with us..?"

Dawn's eyes, which Sun suddenly was able to notice behind the bangs, lit up. She nodded with excitement, looking at Sun as though she had saved her life.

Sun smiles and takes the coconut from Ray, leading him and their new friend to a large rock, tipped with a sharp edge that they learned long ago opened the fruit.

With one quick motion, Sun pierced the coconut, and the fruit cracked.

Dawn looked on, amazed at this ordinary task. Sun didn't know why, everyone knew how to do this, but something made Dawn watch in wonder. Finally, Sun carefully broke open the coconut, giving Dawn one end, and sharing the other with Ray.

Dawn paused, staring at the gift for a moment before digging in eagerly. Sun didn't know if Dawn had even eaten this before, or if she just ate the dinner that was passed around every night. Sun decided not to ask, for fear of being rude. Ray, however, was much bolder then her.

"Hey Dawn, what do you do all day? We never really see you."

Dawn looked up, and Sun could tell her eyes were shifting nervously.

"I... uh, don't really do anything... sometimes i hide behind the waterfall, but that's really it..."

Ray looks up. "Huh?! There's something behind the waterfall?"

Dawn nods, now turning her head to look away. "It's my secret place... but since you guys gave me something... i'll share... It might be important some day..."

Sun smiled. "So we're friends now?"

Dawn looked surprised. "Friends... yes. We're friends."

Sun and Ray looked at each other. Dawn had always kept her door to her heart closed, but now it was open. Just a little.


	4. 4

Sky's footsteps, however, were heard before the three could make their way back. Most of the kids had run off to do their own thing, so the pond would be empty, but at the same time, Sky would be trying to catch people to help her fish. Today, it would be Sun and Ray's turn.

Dawn imdentantly knew what was happening, and hurried to stand up. "I-I have to go... she- doesn't like me all that much..."

Sun stood up. "Why not? We're all friends here."

Ray decided he'd run up and distract Sky so the two could talk. He whispered his plan into Sun's ear before running off.

Dawn sighs. "Fish... Scare me. Sky doesn't like that, since I can't help prepare dinner..."

Sun held back a laugh. Dawn was scared of fish? It was silly, but the fact that Sky was mad at her for it was funnier. "I'll talk to her for you, ok? Don't worry. Why don't you come with us? You don't have to touch them if you don't want to."

"Do you think Sky will be mad..?" Dawn muttered, rubbing her arm.

"No, of course not. You can keep the fire going so we can cook them, alright? Leaf has already lit it this morning, and Sky hates getting out of the water to feed it."

Dawn liked Sun's plan, so she agreed, though reluctantly. "C- can you hold my hand..?"

Sun nodded, gripping Dawn's hand reassuringly.

"Ok, ready?"

Dawn nods, and the two walk towards Sky, who looks mildly upset.

"Hmpth. Aren't you scared of fish?" she looked at Dawn, half heartedly growling under her breath.

Sun nods. "She's going to keep the fire going until we catch all the fish and get back on shore."

Sky's gaze softened. That was something she needed help with, after all. Nodding, Sky lead the way to the cove, on the very back of the island.

It had stone walls that surrounded it, with a small opening for fish to swim through. But other then that, it was mostly cut off. Sun had always called it her favorite place on the island, but she could never quite make up her mind on that fact.

Sky stretched her arms. She wore almost the same thing as Sun, but instead of one simple cloth it was a white cloth on top, a brown cloth for a skirt, and a leather sash, not unlike one a Girl Scout would wear.

"Y'all ready?" Sky smirked, now happily joking around to relieve tension.

Dawn nods, walking to the now dying fire and offering it a snack of twigs. Sun looked on, somehow still captivated despite a memory that refused to leave her, of when she was younger and got close to a dancing flame, back at the age of six when it was first discovered. Back then everyone had love her blond hair that she had always kept neat, but when the fire first was lit, all of her hair seemingly burnt off in a sudden flash. Sun had learned then, as she quickly ran to the ocean to keep the flames from harshly stinging her head, that this strange newcomer to the island was not to be messed with.

Sky must have saw Sun freeze up, and she sharply, yet someone still in a playful manner, slapped Sun on the back of the head, which was where the fire had hurt her the most. This made Sun flinch, briefly thinking the flames were dancing on her head once again.

"Heh... sorry, it's just sorta funny. One's scared of fish, another's scared of fire."

Ray bit his lip behind them, holding his tongue for now. Sky always seemed to take things too far when it came to jokes, but she was still a good friend.

Dawn looked at Sun, once again talking in that whisper of a voice. "It's ok... I was there that day, behind a tree. You didn't see me but I was worried..."

Sun smiled. At times it seemed like Dawn was never there at all, but she was as much a part of the island and the group as her and Ray, though she lived a little differently from the others.

Sky felt awkward now. "So uh... let's dive in, huh? Doesn't Terra want to throw some kind of party?"

Sun nods. "According to him, it's been ten years since the day the boot we were on sank... I don't remember that, do you?"

Ray shakes his head, sighing. "Kinda hurts my head to think about it, does it hurt yours too?"

Sun shrugs. "Just confuses me. Like trying to imagine a new color. You think you got it, but then it goes away..."

Dawn bites her fingernails. Her secret was too much to bear, but she had to bear it, because of the pain it would cause...

Sky smiles. "Alright, i'll be in the water, Sun, Ray, no excuses."

Sky jumps into the water, leaving Ray and Sun, though Ray follows eagerly. Sun looks at Dawn, who was almost shaking from her secret. She stops though, and smiles faintly at Sun.

Sun dives into the water next, feeling the cool water rush against her face, and forcing her out of her head so she could swim, and catch fish.

Eventually she opened her eyes, looking around under the water, spotting a small bass.

While she still had air left, she grabbed it, holding her prize tightly as she came up from the water, holding it high above her head, Sky emerging herself, waving to Sun, with a bigger fish.

This caused Sun to toss the fish she had to the shore, which made Dawn yelp a little as it flew through the air.

Sun yells out an apology, diving after Sky, where they both had their eyes set on the same fish. Sky was quick, but Sun was clever, and pointed behind Sky, pretending that there was something behind her, bigger than the fish they were fighting over.

While Sky was distracted, Sun grabbed the fish and swam up, hearing Sky's frustrated growl behind her as she ran to the pile, this time being careful not to scare Dawn.

"Sun, don't play games with me!" Sky yelled, running toward Sun.

Sun backed up, but Sky quickly grabbed her arm. "I should tell Terra you aren't helping! That'll get you out of his good favor!"

Sun smirks. "Hehe... Sorry, I couldn't help it, it was too funny!"

Sky sighs and lets go of her arm. "Fine, fine.."

Ray, meanwhile, had filled the pile with fish, laughing behind them. "I got it guys, don't worry."

Sun laughed, as she had always laughed at Ray's jokes.

"We gotta go help everyone else with the preparations. Right Ray?"

Ray nods, smirking. "Uh huh! Dawn, wanna help us string shells?"

Dawn smiles and nods. "sure..."


	5. 5

Sun ran deeper into the island, laughing as her two friends followed, picking up shells on the way. They would need to head to Leaf's hideaway, a small hut built from logs and and other things that had washed up on the island. Sun always liked Leaf's little corner of the island, because it was safe and always warm.

With a little creativity, Leaf had even learned to make tea, using sweet smelling herbs that grew by the waterfall. She used small, odd shaped coconuts as drinking cups, and they worked quite well. Terra was extremely impressed with her work, and the two always seemed to be exchanging new recipes and knowledge in the evenings.

Dawn, surprisingly, managed to reach Leaf's hut first.

Leaf had always seemed the royal type, though there was no way to prove such. She created long, flowing capes for herself that seemed to drag behind her, as if smoothing over the ground she walked.

Not surprisingly, Leaf's eyes widened as she looked at Dawn. then, before drawing a calm breath, she spoke.

"Hello Dawn, what brings you here? It's not often I see you."

Dawn waved back, shocked for a moment she wasn't met with rage for their silent squabbles when they were young, and fought over the smallest things.

It was obvious Leaf was going through the tedious process of making tea, being careful not to burn herself on her own fire.

It was never easy when Leaf made things. Even the smallest things took long.

A few months ago, Sky had asked for a wooden sword, just a blunt thing to knock down coconuts and hit things with. So far, Leaf had made three out of wood planks, craving them perfectly and smoothing them out. Yet still, she insisted they weren't ready.

Sky was never pleased with this, but the same phrase was always repeated. 'Good things take time.'

After a while, it seemed like Sky had forgotten about it. So, life moved on.

Dawn nodded to her, sitting down as Sun and Ray entered.

The more important items were kept by Leaf, such as the needle used to string together shells. She was almost like the treasurer of the island, holding important things like washed up clothing, tools and driftwood.

Sun sat down, being sure to not get anywhere near the fire. She smiled at Leaf, sighing "So, we need the needle for sea shells. We gotta string em."

Leaf nods, understanding. "Right. And you need rope too..?"

The needle wasn't actually a needle, but rather one that was used for crocheting. Leaf slowly places down the tea, which was finally ready. She made it in an old, half burnt, rusted, teapot.

Leaf smiles and stands up, her old cape flying in the breeze between the logs of the small, crud hut. She leans down to the pile of things in the corner, carefully shifting through until the needle was found.

Sun watched her graceful movements carefully, afraid of just how close her cape was to the small fire. But Leaf wasn't worried, she was the fire's master, and it yielded only to her.

With a yawn, Sun watched the steam coming from the old teapot. She was almost certain what they had was from that boat that had drowned years back.

Although, part of her didn't believe the story Terra would tell, of the less friendly time where the sea wasn't the provider, but the taker. Maybe Terra had lied, and there was no ship, but just an endless sea and an island. Maybe there was no outside, no airplane, no people to worry about. Just twenty four kids and a home, a shelter.


	6. 6

"Hey, Sun, get up! We got the shells but you're not slacking off anymore!"

Sun awoke to Ray shaking her by the shoulder, Dawn shyly trying to stop him. Sun rubbed her eyes and looked at the two. "Huh? Did I fall asleep?"

Ray nods. "Yeah, you fell asleep so me and Dawn had to go to the shore and look all by ourselves!" He huffed, crossing his arms and pouting childishly.

Sun nods, looking around to see the needle gripped tightly in her hand. She must have fallen asleep daydreaming again. She stood up and sighed, smoothing out her dress and looking to Leaf, a silent thank you for allowing her to sleep. "Well, should we head to the beach and start? We can always talk..."

Ray nods, forgiving Sun for the delay. It was only afternoon, so the sun wouldn't set for a while, which means they had time for preparing the waterfall for the festival. So the three friends walked to the beach, Sun gracefully sitting down by the pile of shells, staring out at the water. She still couldn't wrap her head around the past. The fact it had been ten years made her head spin, and the lost memory of it all made it spin faster.

The shells would be hung around the waterfall, tied to tree limbs to make a circle around their festival area. They've done this every month at the very least, but it still felt exciting and new.

Ray sighs, taking the needle and holding his hand out for a shell, which Sun gave.

"Hey Ray... do you remember your parents? Terra always talks about his, but I don't think I have any..." Sun asked, rubbing her arm and looking away.

"Nope. I think Terra's the only one with them. Besides, we named you Sun cause you were always with me and we thought your mom WAS the sun. Maybe that's still true, I don't really care. You're here with us now."

Sun nods, watching Ray work his magic, but noticed Dawn holding her hands over her mouth and shaking...

"Dawn? Are you ok?" Sun muttered, getting up and moving to sit next to Dawn. "You look sick..."

Dawn was sick, in a way. Her memories had turned sour, eating away at her emotions. She didn't want to let the memories out, so it was just getting worse.

Slowly, Dawn turned to Sun, putting her hands down and adjusting her bangs in an attempt to mask her feelings. "Yes Sun, i'm ok. I just remembered something."

Once again, Dawn's robotic voice startled her.

"Remembered what?"

Dawn shrugs. "Just... The crash, mostly. Nothing important..."

Ray gasps. "You remembered the crash?!"

Dawn nods. "Yeah, a little. It wasn't a lot, don't worry about it, ok? Just drop it."

Sun was worried, but didn't want to press things further with Dawn, so she left it alone. Talking about it seemed to upset her worse.

The time went by, and soon it was time for the main event.

The three arrived at the waterfall, which was decorated nicely. Sky was passing out palm leafs to everyone, with fish and berries on them. Sun got Ray and Dawn their plate, and they sat down.

Moon was on the top of the waterfall with Terra, and the two were having a silent conversion, the words drowned out by the sound of the rushing water. Sun knew it was something important, however. Terra could very well be briefing her on the airplane. She did wish the two could enjoy what they created, as Terra was the leader, for the most part. He had found the edible foods, helped construct the hut, and organized the events, keeping records and calendar of everything.

It was just how things naturally fell, and no one questioned it. They never did.

The night passed by quickly, and everyone slowly left, the dancing stopping.

Sun yawned and laid on her back, stretching and staring at the stars. Ray laid next to her, looking up and sighing.

"I feel like this might be the last time we're together like this, you know? It feels like this is it..."

Sun looked over at him, confused. "What do you mean, of course not. We promised we'd all stay together. I wouldn't leave you, even if that airplane did come back! Right Dawn?"

Dawn had fallen asleep.

"Oh, she's asleep. Sorry Ray, you'll have to trust me on this one.."

Ray nodded, but he wasn't quite so sure Sun was right.

Rolling over, he grabbed Sun's shoulder, digging his fingernails into it.

Sun flinched, yelping slightly. It wasn't that big of a deal, but it still startled her. But eventually, the three fell asleep.


End file.
